A hundred designs for Havyard

It started with four employees and two old armchairs. Now, Havyard has passed the hundred design mark, with Kystruten as the most recent highlight.

From the beginning in 2005 and over the thirteen years leading up to today, Havyard Design & Solutions has grown to become a design company with a long and varied list of achievements that has been important to the group as a whole.

The foundations for today’s Havyard Design & Solutions were laid with the purchase of Leine Maritime in May 2005 and the acquisition of four engineering companies over the following years. The strategy was for Havyard to evolve from a yard into a ship technology company.

‘Then, as now, it was about profit and reducing the risks in shipbuilding. In our opinion, it's impossible to succeed over time by selling hours in Norway in competition with the rest of the world. Instead, we wanted to sell products. This also gives us a proximity to our customers that has mutual benefits.’

The workhorse of the North Sea

The first design sold was the anchor handling tug supply vessel, Havyard 842. Managing Director of Havyard Design & Solutions Stig Magne Espeseth, and Design Manager Arve Helsem Leine have been with Havyard since the start in 2005. They explain that the sale of the first design was a breakthrough, both because they were then able to build the first design and because the contract was won in competition with well-established enterprises.

One of the first success stories was Havyard 832, which really became one of the workhorses of the North Sea.

‘We’ve sold close to thirty designs of Havyard 832, which with its tailor-made deck area, diesel-electric propulsion and hull optimisation, hit the spot in the market.’

From the early years when offshore vessels were most important, the diving support vessel Havyard 858 DSV (Seven Falcon) has also been a milestone. This is one of the most advanced vessels to come from HDS and was voted ship of the year in Europe in 2011.

In photo: Havyards first sold design, Havyard 842. Photo: Havyard

Digital testing and energy optimisation

Havyard Design & Solutions (HDS) was among the first to think in terms of restructuring and new segments. First fisheries, then aquaculture and support vessels for offshore wind farms. Today, HDS is the design company that has sold most designs for support vessels for offshore wind farms. In recent years, HDS has also made great progress in the ferry market with the delivery of twelve battery-run ferry designs. HDS is at the global forefront of this work with its use of digital testing of hulls and energy optimisation.

This work has in turn laid the foundation for the most recent contracts with Kystruten. Through its participation in the centre for research-based innovation Smart Maritime, managed by Sintef Ocean, Havyard Design & Solutions has been able to take part in developing a brand new simulation tool that makes it possible to test factors including hull shapes and propulsion solutions against the wave and wind conditions along the Norwegian coast.

‘We’ve studied the conditions along the entire coast, and in every single one of the 34 ports where the coastal route calls, to calculate and document energy consumption. We’ve optimised the hull in relation to the weather conditions and its route, we recycle energy on the vessel, we use gas engines, and we have the world’s biggest battery packs. In this way, the ships can sail emission-free in the world heritage areas and meet the green policy requirements five years before the deadline.’

Going for 200

CEO Geir Johan Bakke explains that Havyard Design & Solutions’ outstanding development can be accredited to the staff’s expertise and ability to adapt, cooperate with other business areas in the group and build relations with customers.

‘What kind of vessels we’ll be designing in five years' time is anyone’s guess, but I’m optimistic on behalf of Havyard Design & Solutions. We are now celebrating our hundredth design, but we’re going for 200!’